


Cryptic Krypto

by AXEe



Series: Forks in the Road [2]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-15 21:45:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15422265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Sequel to "Vile Visage", a CHLARK take on "Krypto"





	1. A Hungry Visitor

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! The next part in "Forks in the Road" is here! (pauses for applause :=). Now, wait some of you are saying, if the first part was an AU of "Visage"--which took place in Season Two--then why are we doing an AU "Krypto" which took place all the way in Season Four? Glad you asked, dear reader, the answer to the question can be answered in this one word:
> 
> Dog.
> 
> Or, if you'd prefer the long answer: CHLARK, cute dog :=). As anyone who's read my Supergirl series "What we are" knows I could careless about canon, so we're doing a Season Two/CHLARK-tastic take on "Krypto". So there! :=)
> 
> Now, please enjoy :=)

******

It was the clattering that woke him.

Clark blinked awake, staring blearily at his clock to see that it was a little after six in the morning, about half an hour before he was suppose to get to start his chores. He was about to go back to sleep when a crash startled him. Sitting up, he threw the covers off and tiptoed out into the hall, nearly bumping into his father, who put his finger to his lips as both men made their way down the stairs as quietly as possible, both sidestepping the creaky step near the bottom.

Rounding the couch, they could see that the kitchen door was ajar and that the refrigerator was open, actually it looked like the fridge door had been pried open somehow; one hinge was clearly loose as the still-unseen intruder continued clattering around.

Rounding the kitchen island, both Clark and Jonathan stopped and stared at the sight before him, Clark could feel himself smirk as Jonathan frowned

“Now, where did you come from?” he wondered as the intruder looked up from devouring Martha’s leftover pot roast, licking their chops as they wagged their tail.

The dog looked quite happy to see them as it wagged its tail and then went back to munching on the pot roast as the kitchen door opened, Whitney Fordman peeking around the door

“Oh,” he seemed surprised to see Jonathan and Clark “Clark, Mr. Kent,” he frowned as he came inside “I was just getting in to get started on some work,” he explained awkwardly “wha-what…are you two doing up so early?” he wondered

“Seems we have a visitor,” Jonathan chuckled as he nodded towards the dog “a _hungry_ visitor” he added as the dog finished the pot roast with a quiet burp and moved on to the pearl onions

“Hey,” Clark quickly moved in and snatched the onions away from the dog “don’t eat those, they’re poisonous to dogs” he reprimanded, which earned a quiet grumble from the dog and a playful nudge on the arm

“He’s supposed to be tied up on the barn,” Whitney pointed to the dog, frowning “how’d you get loose?”

******

“I chained him up to post in here while I unloaded my truck,” Whitney explained as he led Clark and Jonathan into the barn, the dog absently trailing behind as the three men stopped and puzzled over the broken and splintered support post, which looked as if it had been ripped clean out of its moorings “OK, that’s just bad wood” Whitney declared, scowling as he examined the broken pieces of wood

“Where did you say you found him?” Jonathan wondered

“I, uh, didn’t actually,” Whitney cringed “I actually, sorta…hit him” he admitted

“You hit him?” Clark repeated as he looked between the dog—who looked to be as healthy as a horse—and Whitney “with your car?”

“No, with my sock, Kent,” Whitney rolled his eyes “look, I was going to take him to the vet, but…he seemed fine once I got him into the car. I guess I must have just knocked the wind out of him or something”

“Well,” Jonathan began as he studied the dog “we should make up some flyers in the morning,” he suggested “he’s got a collar, which means he’s got an owner”

“Actually,” Clark bent down and scratched the dogs ears “it might be kind of nice to have a dog around,” he looked up at Jonathan hopefully “maybe if nobody claims him we could keep him” he suggested

“Why don’t we see what happens in the morning, Clark?” Jonathan chuckled

“Well, in the meantime, we need to fix this post” Whitney nodded to the broken post

“I got it” Clark grinned as he stood up. He easily pried the broken post loose, then in a burst of superspeed, grabbed a replacement timber, measured and cut it and fitted it into place all in less then ten seconds

“Show off” Whitney muttered…

******

The day on the Kent farm started as it usually did, despite the canine refrigerator bandit, and Martha Kent came downstairs to find Chloe and Jonathan cleaning up the mess from the dog’s early morning snack

“Chloe, you don’t have to do that” Martha admonished

“No, its fine,” Chloe beamed as she stood up and emptied the dustpan “so, I hear that you guys have a new tenant?” he asked as Clark came in, the dog trailing behind him

“Hey, Chloe” he grinned at her as he reached out to pull her into a hug

“Hey,” Chloe grinned as she bypassed her boyfriend completely in favor of his canine shadow “oh! Look at you!” she laughed as she crouched down to the dog’s level and began ruffling his ears “oh who’s a good puppy? Who’s a good puppy?” she asked in a baby voice as she ruffled his ears

“I’m here too, you know?” Clark hinted

“Yeah, you’re not as cute,” Chloe chuckled, which caused Clark to splutter indignantly as his parents hide their smirks “so,” she stood up “I hear that Whitney hit this guy with his car?”

“That’s what he tells us” Jonathan explained

“Well, he looks OK,” Chloe remarked as the dog happily nuzzled up to her hip “speaking of Whitney, where is our favorite ex-Marine turned farmhand?”

“Oh I sent him out go pick up some fence posts” Jonathan explained

“Putting him to work already, huh Dad?” Clark chuckled

“No such thing as a vacation on a farm, Son,” Jonathan reminded him “speaking of which, Clark, why don’t you take the dog outside? Don’t want him to get any ideas during breakfast”

“Right,” Clark nodded, leading the dog outside by the chain still attached to his collar. Leading him down the drive, Clark quickly tied the chain to the front bumper of the tractor “let’s see if this holds you,” he muttered as he stood up, giving the dog a pat on the head as he walked back towards the house. The dog whined and barked, clearly not wanting to be tied up “stay” Clark ordered as he stepped inside.

The screen door had just shut behind him when a loud crash broke the air

“What was that?” Chloe wondered as she and Martha and Jonathan got up and followed Clark out onto the porch and stared at the sight before them. Apparently deciding that he didn’t want to be left alone, the dog had somehow pulled the tractor down the drive, through the fence—and Martha’s prized rose bushes—and onto the front lawn and now sat in front of the tractor looking somewhat sheepish.

“Huh,” Chloe remarked “looks like he’s got a secret too”

“Looks like” Clark agreed as he hurried down the steps and, after untying the dog, pushed the tractor back into its rightful place in the driveway

“Wonder where this guy comes from?” Chloe muttered as he petted the dog’s back while Martha assessed the state of her roses with an air of resigned disappointment, while Jonathan cleared away the broken fence

“Don’t tell me you think he’s an alien too?” Clark wondered as he came up to Chloe

“No,” she snorted “hang on,” she frowned as she petted the dog “there’s something under his skin here”

“Huh, let me see,” Clark squinted, x-raying the dog “huh, looks like one of those ID microchips”

“They can scan them at the animal shelter can’t they?” Chloe asked

“Yeah” Clark nodded

“Great, let’s go!” grinning, Chloe happily led the dog to her parked VW Beetle.

Still standing on the lawn, Clark frowned and looked at his parents, who shrugged…


	2. Einstein

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TWO! And away we go! :=)

******

The drive to Smallville’s lone animal shelter was proving to be interesting to say the least. Space was limited in Chloe’s VW Bug, Clark usually had to put his seat all the way back and still never had enough leg room. But now, with their canine passenger taking up the backseat, there was even less room for Clark’s legs

“Will you stop fidgeting?” Chloe complained “god! You’re worse than my cousin”

“Sorry,” Clark mumbled “but why’d you have to get such a small car?”

“Because I’m small compared to you,” Chloe countered “and you,” she looked pointedly at the dog in the rearview mirror “no messes in my car” she ordered

“You know, he seems pretty friendly” Clark commented as he reached back over his shoulder and ruffled the dog’s chin

“You’re kinda hoping that no one claims him, aren’t you?” Chloe chuckled

Clark blushed and fidgeted

“It…uh…well, I always wanted a dog” he admitted

“Wait,” Chloe frowned “are telling me that you never had a dog before? Never?”

“No” Clark shook his head

“I need to talk to your parents about doggy deprivation,” Chloe muttered “how come you never had a dog? I mean I would think living on a farm you guys would’ve had tons of dogs,” she frowned “come to think of it,” she began “but, I can’t ever remember you having a pet, ever”

“I had some goldfish once,” Clark shrugged “and my parents had a dog before they found me, but he died a few years before the meteor shower. Then, after they found me, I guess it just got too expensive to raise a child and take care of dog at the same time. Especially back then, since Dad had just switched to organic farming methods,” he grimaced “and plus, after what happened to Madeline…”

“Who’s ‘Madeline’?” Chloe asked “and why do I get the feeling that she is no longer with us?”

“She was a rabbit that we had when I was little," Clark explained "I guess that she was kinda of my pet when I was little, she had a little hutch out by the barn and I used to feed her and pet her,” he turned and stared out the window, lost in thought “anyway, one day, I took her out of her hutch to play with her and I, uh…,” he cringed “I…hugged her too hard” he admitted

“So, wait, you…?” Chloe began

Clark nodded

“God, sorry, Clark, that must have been awful” she shook her head

“I was young,” he shrugged “didn’t know my own strength,” he explained “I guess, after that, Mom and Dad decided that they didn’t want to risk me hurting a puppy, so…” he trailed off

“No dogs” Chloe finished

“Yeah,” Clark nodded “it wasn’t too bad, I mean we have the barn cats”

“A barn cat is not a dog, Clark” Chloe reminded him as they pulled into the parking lot of the Smallville Animal Clinic…

******

The Smallville Animal Clinic was part veterinary hospital and part animal shelter, and treated the usual suspects of cats, dogs, and the occasional bird or hamster. Typically, for larger animals like horses and cows, people went to Dr. Klein, who’d been Smallville’s vet for about twenty years and who typically made house calls since it wasn’t exactly easy to walk your horse into the office (although Clark had it on good authority that people had tried once or twice), but if your dog into the garbage or your cat swallowed a mouse, you came to the clinic.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been here before” Chloe remarked as they walked inside, both wincing at the cacophony of dogs barking and cats yowling

“I have, a few times” Clark explained as he rang the bell on the counter

“Clark?”

Both turned to see Lana Lang standing behind them

“\Lana, hi,” Chloe greeted “what are you doing here?”

“Oh,” Lana hefted the bundle of cloth in her arms “I found this cat behind the Talon,” she explained “she looks pretty sick, figured I should bring her here to get checked out.” she nodded towards Clark’s canine shadow “new dog?” she asked

“Oh, sorta,” Chloe explained “Whitney found him on the road and brought him to the farm,” she smirked up at Clark “Clark’s hoping to keep him”

“I’m not ‘hoping’,” Clark blushed “I’m…if no one claims him then we’ve got plenty of room on the farm”

“That means yes” Chloe teased

Lana smirked

“So, uh, how are you two?” she asked “I mean as a couple?” she added, wincing at how lame and awkward she sounded

Both Clark and Chloe glanced at each other, silently communicating again before answering

“Good” they both nodded

“And Whitney?” Lana asked “how is he?”

“You know, Lana,” Clark began “maybe you should ask him yourself,” he suggested “I’m sure he’d be happy to see you”

Lana nodded slowly

“Maybe” she agreed as the dog suddenly barked. Turning back, Clark and Chloe studied the young man coming out of the back room; he paused as he saw the dog, clearly startled as the dog growled at him, hackles raising as he tensed

“Easy, boy” Chloe tugged on the leash as the kid approached the counter

“How can I help you?” he asked, his voice tad strained, and alarm bells started to go off in Clark and Chloe’s heads

“Uh, we found this dog,” Clark began “and we think he has one of those microchip ID tags. We were hoping you could scan it for us?”

The kid nodded awkwardly

“Uh, yeah, sure” he pulled out a handheld scanner from under the counter and approached the dog, only for the dog to growl and lunge for him, teeth snapping at air

“Whoa!” Chloe yanked back on the leash

“Why don’t I do that?” Clark held out a hand for the scanner and, once it was handed over, crouched down behind the dog and held it over where he’d seen the chip, absently noticing how tense the dog was as the computer behind the counter chirped, the results appearing almost-instantly

Registered owner found:  
LuthorCorp

“LuthorCorp?” Clark echoed

“You’re kidding” Chloe exclaimed

“Huh,” the kid muttered awkwardly “must be one of those lab dogs or something” he shrugged

“Lab dogs?” Clark repeated skeptically

“I’d be happy to take him off your hands” the kid offered, reaching for the leash, only for Chloe to pull back

“Actually, you know what? I think we’re fine for now,” she said quickly “right?” she asked Clark

“Right,” he nodded, trusting her judgment “thanks” he muttered as they turned to leave

“I should probably get your name and address,” the kid called out “just in case somebody from LuthorCorp comes looking for him,” he tried for a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes “its, uh, company policy”

Clark and Chloe glanced at each other

“I’ll just, uh, wait in the car” Chloe nodded as she lead the dog back outside. Still feeling like something was off, Clark came back to the counter and, accepting the clipboard from the kid, filled out his name and address…

******

Stepping outside, Clark found Chloe waiting by the car, the dog quietly dozing on her feet

“OK,” Chloe began “was it just me or did that guy seem decidedly squirrely?”

“No,” Clark shook his head “what do think he meant by ‘lab dogs’?” he wondered

“I don’t know,” Chloe began “but I think I have an idea,” she unlocked the car “come on”

******

Meanwhile, back inside the clinic, Zack Greenwood slipped into the back room, still feeling weirded out by the encounter up front. His brother, Josh, looked up as he came in, but otherwise didn’t acknowledge him.

“Hey,” Zack began “you’ll never guess who just showed up” he exclaimed

Josh scowled disdainfully

“Einstein,” Zack explained “some kid named Clark Kent’s keeping him out on his farm”

Josh finally looked up

“Good to hear, little brother,” he remarked as he picked up a baseball bat and approached a cage with a large, rather angry-looking Rottweiler inside “because I was afraid that we’d have to pull off this job with only this dope” he suddenly thrust the bat in between the gaps in the cage, grinning as the dog went into a frenzy, snarling and barking ferociously, foaming at the mouth as it did

“Why do you do that?” Zack demanded, cringing.

Josh stopping, looking up at Zack disdainfully again

“What do you care?” he wondered as he stood up and lightly punched Zack in the arm “it’s just a dog” he dismissed as he went back the table he’d been standing at and loaded up an injection gun with a vial filled with a green glowing liquid that any resident of Smallville would recognize as liquefied meteor rocks

“How much does Hercules have left in him?” Zack wondered, nodding to the Rottweiler

“Enough to help us get Einstein back,” Josh explained “then, we shoot ‘em both up and they’ll ready for the big day”

“Why couldn’t you get the effects to last longer?” Zack wondered

Josh sneered at him

“I don’t know, little brother,” he cuffed Zack on the back of the head “I was just the trainer,” he nodded towards the piles of papers on the desk “come on, put this stuff away before somebody sees” he ordered as Zack dutifully gathered the papers up and stuffed them all into a thick and heavy binder marked ‘LUHTORCORP SECURITY MANUAL’…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clark's unfortunate bunny is named after a rabbit my mother had when she was little. Don't worry, she wasn't squished, she died naturally :=)


	3. Super Dogs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter THREE! Enjoy :=)

******

“Found it,” Chloe exclaimed as she looked up from her laptop “OK, so about half a year…Clark?” she frowned as she looked back over her shoulder to find Clark gone “Clark?” looking around she finally spotted him, hiding her smirk at the sight of Clark and the dog both laying on their stomachs on the Sullivan’s living room floor, an old tennis ball between them.

Every couple of seconds, Clark would give the ball a little nudge, rolling towards his canine ‘opponent’, who would nudge it back towards him with his nose

“You know, you shouldn’t stare directly into his eyes like that” Chloe advised, startling Clark

“Sorry, what?” he asked, looking up and then quickly getting to his feet with a slight blush

“The dog,” Chloe nodded to the dog “you shouldn’t look him directly in the eye, he’ll think you’re challenging his dominance” she explained

“How do you know so much about dogs?” Clark wondered as the dog looked up bashfully at them both, his head swinging back and forth as he followed their conversation

“My mother was a vet,” Chloe explained “we used to always have dogs until Dad and I moved here, then we couldn’t support a pet anymore, not with Dad’s crazy hours,” she nodded towards the laptop “anyway, this is what I talking about” she explained as Clark came over and read the _Daily Planet_ article on the screen

“ _LuthorCorp Animal Testing Site Closed Down_ ,” he frowned “so LuthorCorp was doing animal testing?”

“Yeah,” Chloe nodded “according to this, they had a site right here in Smallville, but various animal rights’ groups protested it from the start. They finally closed it down after it was practically flattened by the tornado” she explained

“What were they doing?” Clark wondered

“Well, its all kind of murky, but apparently the ASPCA and the Humane Society alleged that LuthorCorp was mixing refined meteor rocks with steroids to create ‘super dogs’ for military purposes”

Clark grimaced

“Well, that explains his strength”

“And how he survived playing fetch with Whitney’s truck” Chloe nodded

“What happened to the dogs?” Clark wondered

“Well, the project was apparently deemed a failure, since the super dog formula was only temporary,” Chloe explained “according to public records; all of the dogs were euthanized”

They both looked back at the dog sitting behind them grinning shyly

“Not all of them” Clark muttered

“Nope,” Chloe agreed “but here’s something interesting,” she turned back to the computer “just before the site was closed down, the ASPCA and the Humane Society both sued LuthorCorp for violating animal cruelty laws. Now the case never went to trial, but several LuthorCorp employees were tagged as witnesses for the case. Including this guy”

“Josh Greenwood,” Clark read as the information popped up “who’s he?”

“Supposedly he was the trainer for the dogs,” Chloe explained “but, I did some digging into his background and look what I found” another picture popped up

“Hey, that’s the guy from the clinic” Clark recognized the face instantly

“That’s Josh’s brother Zack,” Chloe nodded “maybe they took some of the dogs with them?” she suggested

“But why?” Clark wondered

“I don’t know,” Chloe shrugged “but it explains why he was acting so weird and why he was so eager to take the dog, he was probably afraid of the cops finding out”

They both looked back at the dog, who grinned at them both and then nudge the tennis ball towards them, looking up hopefully

“Hard to believe that they were training this guy to be an attack dog” Clark remarked

“I know,” Chloe agreed “he’s such a sweetie,” she smiled up at Clark “and, he’s got good taste too” she teased as she playfully nudged him…

******

That night on the Kent farm found Martha and Jonathan preparing for dinner. Or rather Martha was preparing dinner while Jonathan peered up the stairs intently

“Jonathan,” Martha hissed “stop that, they’re fine, they’re just studying”

“They’re teenagers, Martha,” Jonathan reminded her as he broke off his vigil and came over to help her with dinner “granted, they’re good kids, but they’re still teenagers”

“I think we can trust that neither Clark nor Chloe would do…anything while we’re both here” Martha sighed

“Oh yeah,” Jonathan chuckled sarcastically “that makes me feel _real_ better”

******

As it turned out, Jonathan’s fears were somewhat validated, as Clark currently had a hand up Chloe’s shirt and his own shirt was currently on the floor

“Wait a minute,” Clark broke away from the kiss panting for breath “I don’t think we should do this”

Chloe groaned for a very different reason then she had been a few minutes earlier and flopped back on the bed, absently straightening her shirt and smoothing out her hair

“I know,” she sighed “but, come on, Clark, we can’t put it off forever”

“I know,” Clark nodded “but…not while my parents are here”

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed reluctantly “it’s…just,” she sighed “look, I have a confession to make,” she began “I’m not…I mean I’ve already…,” she closed her eyes and groaned “I’ve already had sex” she finally blurted it out

Clark sat up

“When?” he asked

“It was during my summer internship at the _Planet_ ,” Chloe explained “before we got together. There was another intern there, Jimmy, and he was cute in a…bowtie sorta way, and well, one thing led to another, and…” she trailed off with shrug

“Huh” was all Clark could think to say…

******

“Hard to believe that someone would want to experiment on this dog,” Martha remarked “he’s sweet, and really pretty too” she chuckled as the dog sat there watching them move about the kitchen, eyeing the dinning table and it’s growing supply of food

“Now wait a minute,” Jonathan began suspiciously as he set the table “you’re not suggesting…?”

“It might be good for Clark to have a dog around,” Martha argued “it’ll teach him responsibility, and plus he’ll have a friend”

“Martha,” Jonathan sighed “and what happens when Clark goes off to collage? You know who’s going be stuck taking care of this dog, right? Us”

“Oh, you’re making it out to be worse than it is,” Martha dismissed “Clark! Chloe! Time for dinner!” she called out as Jonathan looked up and scowled at the ceiling

“It’s times like this I wish I had x-ray vision” he muttered

“No you don’t,” Martha said “because if they’re really doing what you think they’re doing then you wouldn’t to see that”

“You’re right,” Jonathan nodded “I wouldn’t” he agreed just as loud crash broke the air. Hurrying over, the two stared at the sight of the dog now standing in the middle of what had been the dinning table, now broken in half, the food scatted along the floor as the dog happily dove in

“Hey! Hey!” Jonathan rushed in, trying to rescue as much of the food as he could

“Well, Clark did that when he was only three” Martha objected weakly as Clark and Chloe came down the stairs, Martha absently noticing that Clark’s shirt was not only backwards but inside out, the tag bobbing under his chin as he and Chloe came to a stop besides her and stared

“What happened?” Clark asked, Martha merely shrugged as Jonathan continued struggling with the dog

“Hey! That’s my T-bone!” he groaned as he wrenched the bone free from the dog’s mouth. A bit gristle remained, but any hope salvaging anything was lost as the dog swallowed and burped “oh…bad dog” he groaned as he stood up…

******

A few minutes later and most of the scarps had been swept up and put into garbage bags to be thrown out, and as Clark, Chloe, and Martha swept up the remains of the dishes and the table, Jonathan took the trash out to the bins.

Dumping the last of the bags into the bin with a tired sigh, he secured the lids and turned back to the house, pausing at a quiet _snap_ of twigs breaking. Looking around he saw nothing, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, some kind of instinct urging him to get inside now…

******

“Sorry about dinner,” Martha apologized “looks like its sandwiches tonight”

“That’s all right, Mom” Clark dismissed

“Hey,” Chloe nodded towards the dog, who now stood up, ears alert, growling softly “what’s with him?” she wondered…

******

At that moment, a large black shape suddenly leapt over the fence and pounced on Jonathan Kent, teeth sinking into his arm as he fell back with a pained yell…

******

“What was that?” Martha asked as she looked up

“Dad?” Clark called out as the dog known as ‘Einstein’ suddenly charged forward towards the kitchen door, easily smashing through the glass with one fluid movement, the others hurrying after him as he sprinted down the drive and slammed into Jonathan’s assailant, the Rottweiler Hercules, head on.

Rolling away, both dogs quickly stared each other down, teeth bared, growls rumbling through the air as Martha and the others watched in horror from the porch

“Jonathan!” Martha hurried down the stairs

“Martha! Get back!” Jonathan ordered as he cradled his arm, while Martha grabbed a piece of timber from the still broken fence and threw it at the Rottweiler, missing by a mile

“Get away from him!” she cried

“Martha! Stay back!” Jonathan urged as she reached for another projectile, only for Clark and Chloe each to grab her arms

“Martha! Don’t!” Chloe urged as Clark held his mother close.

Suddenly, the Rottweiler looked away, clearly having sensed something, and without a second glance, lopped away around the bend in the drive. Einstein following as Clark and Martha crowded around Jonathan

“I’m calling an ambulance” Chloe exclaimed as she pulled out her cell phone, pausing as Einstein stopped, looking back over his shoulder almost forlornly at the group before turning and sprinting away into the night…


	4. No Such Thing as a Bad Dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Chapter FOUR! Enjoy! :=)

******

“I can’t believe that I just stood there” Clark muttered as he stared through the glass at the hospital room at the Smallville Medical Center where Jonathan was getting his arm plastered in a cast

“Clark, you can’t blame yourself,” Martha tired to assure her son “besides, if what Chloe said about these dogs is true, then they could hurt you, even kill you” she pointed out

“I know,” Clark sighed “but…I just stood there”

******

Meanwhile, Chloe quietly took the cup of lukewarm coffee from Whitney with a muted thanks

“So, super dogs, huh?” Whitney asked as they slowly walked back to where Clark and Martha were waiting

“Looks like,” Chloe shrugged “thanks for coming, Whitney, you didn’t have to, you know”

“No, its fine,” Whitney dismissed evenly “what are friends for, eh?” he grinned shyly at her “besides,” he added “I think you mind find this interesting” he explained as he handed her a copy of the _Ledger_. Chloe paused and examined the article

“Yeah…,” she said slowly “I do”

******

Both Martha and Clark bolted to their feet as Jonathan stepped out of the exam room

“Dad, what’d the doctor say?” Clark asked worriedly

“Well,” Jonathan began as he struggled with his jacket “he’d never seen a dog that could bite clean through bone before”

“The super dog serum must be wearing off then,” Chloe spoke as she came over “an ordinary Rottweiler probably could break your arm,” she held out the newspaper “take a look at this” she explained as the Kent family scanned the headline

LOCAL GROCER MAULED IN BIZZARE BREAK-IN

“The grocer’s still in a coma,” Whitney picked up “but whatever attacked him could break through a steel door”

“The police and animal control think that it was a bear…” Chloe began

“But you think that it was the dogs?” Jonathan guessed

“Yeah,” Chloe took the paper back and pointed to a section of the article “whatever broke into the store also ripped open the safe and made off with a few thousand dollars in cash. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t see many bears that rob stores”

“Not unless he was hoping to buy a pic’a’nic basket,” Whitney chuckled

The others stared at him

“Sorry, too soon?” he winced

“Little bit” Chloe nodded

“Well, someone’s controlling these dogs and using them,” Clark pointed out “we have to find them”

“Let’s deal with that in the morning,” Jonathan advised “Clark, why don’t you help me sign out,” he suggested, quickly leading Clark away “look, Clark,” he began awkwardly “I know that you’ve gotten attached to this dog, but I’m afraid that they could be dangerous. Even to you”

“I know,” Clark nodded “that’s why I have to find whoever’s doing this and stop them”

“No, son,” Jonathan moved in front of him “it might not make any difference,” he pointed “they had anything to do with putting this man into a coma then…well, they going to have to be put down” he sighed

“When you and Mom and found a super-powered boy in a cornfield you didn’t just ‘give up’,” Clark began “you raised me, you gave me a chance. Somebody needs to give him one too,” he sighed “he’s a good dog, Dad. Someone’s just using him to do bad things”

Jonathan sighed

“All right,” he agreed reluctantly “but I want you to be careful” he warned

“I will, Dad” Clark nodded

“All right, come on, let’s go sign out” Jonathan sighed…

******

“Thanks for the ride home” Chloe smiled 

“No problem,” Whitney nodded from behind the wheel as he drove her home “hey,” he began “can I ask you a question?”

“You just did” Chloe grinned

Whitney smirked

“How did you and Clark get together exactly?” Whitney wondered “because, last I heard from Lana you two decided to stay friends after the tornado”

Chloe let her head fall back against the headrest and sighed long and slow

“Uh, well,” she began “it was a little after my summer internship at the _Daily Planet_. I’d just gotten back after my Dad decided to give LexCorp another shot. And…well, Lex Luthor was getting married to this woman who could use pheromones to control men”

“I think I remember reading about this,” Whitney nodded “didn’t she try to us Mr. Kent to kill Lex?”

“Yeah,” Chloe nodded “she did. Anyway, as for Clark and I, seeing each other again and the wedding kinda brought all those feelings back to the surface”

“So who took the plunge?” Whitney wondered

“I did, actually,” Chloe answered “which is _horribly_ ironic seeing as how _I_ was the one who pulled the friends card in the first place”

“That must have been awkward” Whitney noted

“I almost fainted,” Chloe admitted “and, I think, during my talk with Clark that night, I might have thrown up a bit in my mouth”

Whitney chuckled as he pulled the truck to a stop, Chloe getting out and he absently following her

“So, when did you find out about Clark’s…you know…talents?” he asked

“A few months after,” Chloe explained as they reached the Sullivan’s porch “hey, Whitney, seriously, it means a lot to Clark that you’re willing to keep his secret, you know that right?”

“I do” Whitney nodded just as the door opened, Lana Lang standing on the other side, and suddenly all three froze like the proverbial deer in the headlights as they stared at each other

“Lana” Whitney broke the silence first with a hard, uncomfortable cough

“Whitney” Lana acknowledged, her tone civil, yet flat

“Uh, Whitney was just giving me a lift home from the hospital” Chloe explained awkwardly

“Right,” Lana nodded, looking relived to have something else to focus on “I just heard, I was actually on my way to go see Clark,” she cleared her throat awkwardly “how’s his Dad?”

“He’s good,” Chloe nodded “he’s got some deep cuts and a hairline fracture in his arm, but the doctors say that he’ll be fine”

“Good,” Lana nodded “that’s good”

An awkward silence descended upon the three

“Well, I should be going,” Whitney spoke up “don’t want to worry my Mom”

“Right” Chloe and Lana both exclaimed

“And I should, you know,” Chloe pointed at the door “go inside”

“Right,” Whitney nodded as he awkwardly stepped back off the porch, stumbling as he did “well….bye”

“Bye” Chloe waved as she went inside

“Yeah, bye” Lana waved as she shut the door and then leaned against it with a groan

“Lana…” Chloe began, only stop at the withering glare Lana gave her “right,” the reporter nodded to herself as Lana stalked away “shutting up”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the actual episode, Jonathan's comment about the dog 'biting clean through the bone' is a little odd. It's obviously meant to show how superstrong the dogs are, yet when you consider the fact that Rottweiler's and most large breeds have very strong jaws, a Rottie biting through bone isn't that far-fetched. Even though most Rotties are absolute sweeties and actually very good with kids if properly trained :=)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


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